Terrence Malick is definitely not the most plentiful director. He hasn't been directed for 20 years. This is his third movie: Badlands (1973), Days of Heaven (1978) and now The Thin Red Line. The source is fantastic: James Jones' novel. The cinematography is superb (John Toll should have won an Academy Award) and the cast is fine. The film is full of major film stars, but they play only the small parts (John Travolta, George Clooney, John Cusack). They come and go and an hour later appear again somewhere among the stunts. You can't guess who will survive (Woody Harrelson dies very soon). And that's why 'The Thin Red Line' is a fantastic film. In war you can't guess who would survive. If someone makes a mistake, he dies. No matter how important person he is (like Woody). And your life depends on a second. And this second is the difference between life and death. After this second it is decided that you are a survivor or a hero. So, this film is the reality itself. Comparing with the 'Saving Private Ryan' it's definitely more sensitive, more understandable and more interested in the chaos of war and the people in war. To be honest, 'Saving Private Ryan' after the really fantastic opening scene continues as an average, usual and sentimental war movie. But in Malick's masterpiece the human brutality is set against the beauty and peace of nature. Those eye-popping, peaceful nature shots! And the unforgettable moment: the intruders meet the native islander. In my opinion that moment is the essence of the whole film and makes this movie one of best anti-war dramas of all time. I think only Stanley Kubrick's 'The Paths of Glory' (1957) can be compared to it. And don't forget the fantastic performance by Nick Nolte. MAD!!! (Nolte has been deserved an Oscar for a long time.) Very long movie but worth seeing. The most underrated movie of 1998 and the 90's. Should have won several Academy Awards, but 'Shakespeare in Love' and 'Saving Private Ryan' were the major successes of the year (unfortunately). It will become an all-time classic soon. That's for sure. A question: Will Mr. Malick wait 20 years again until he directs his fourth film?
Review of The Thin Red Line
